Switch controller



Oct. 27, 1925. 1,559,407

W. CARTER SWITCH CONTROLLER Filed Nov. 5. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 wrruzss. ATTORNEY (NVENTOR Oct. 27, 1925- 1,559,407 W CARTER SWITCH CONTROLLER Filed Nov. 5. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Walter @rfer ATTORN EY WITNESS:

27, 19z5. W. CARTER swims CONTROLLER Fiied'No'v. 5,- 1924 s Sheets-Sheet s LTT] 1 FMQQwMW WITNESS:

. ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED TAT ES WALTER CARTER, OE JOHN'STOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH CONTROLLER.

Application filed November T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TVALTER CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Switch Com trollers, of which the following is a specification. t

This invention relates to a switch con troller for railroads and the like, the general object of the invention being to provide a member adapted to be moved by a part on a train and a circuit closed by the movement of such member which is connected with the switch so that an engineer or motorman on the train can automatically actuate the switch operating means without leaving the train and without the need of a switchman.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for locking the member against movement, such locking means being moved to inactive position by the part on the train.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, it lustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had. to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which F'gure 1 is a sectional View through the casing of the. device and showing the interior parts in elevation and in section.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is asection on line 33 of Fig ure 1.

Figure 1 is a section on line 4 -et of Fig ure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on line of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view of a modification.

Figure 7 is a view showing the device arranged adjacenta track and also showing the parts which are carried by a train.

Figure 8 is a View taken at right angles to Figure 7.

In these views, 1 indicates a casing which is adapted to be placed adjacent a track, one of the rails of which is shown at A. A shaft 2 is rigidly held in said casing and a member 3 is rotatably mounted on said shaft. This member has a curved head i which normally 3, 1924. Serial No. 747.649.

projects through an opening 5 made in the top of the casing, the member being held in this position by a spring 6 which is attached to the lower part of the member and to the bottom of the casing. This member carries a contact plate 7 on each side thereof for bridging a pair of contact plates 8, each pair being carried by a post 9, the post being arranged in the casing, one on each side of the member. When the member is rocked in one direction one plate 7 will contact with a pair of plates 8 on a post 9 and thus bridge the same and permit the current to flow from one plate to another and thus complete the circuit through the conductors a which are arranged at one side of the casing and when the member is moved in the opposite direction the opposite plate 7- will bridge the second pair of contact plates 8 carried by the other post and thus complete the circuit through the conductors, Z), which are arranged at the other side of the casing. The contact plates are suitably insulated from their supporting parts, as shown alO. If the device is used for actuating a switch, for which it is primarily intended. one set of conductors would be attacicd to the operating means of the switch for moving it in one direction while the other set -would be connected with the means for throwing the switch in the opposite direction. The device is so arranged that its head will be engaged by a part on the train so that it will be moved in the direction the train ,is moving. As soon as the train passes the spring 6 will return the member to its normal or central position and thus break the circuit again.

In order to prevent accidental movement of the member I provide a spring actuated pin 11 for locking it to the shaft 2, this pin passing through a hole in the shaft and engaging a hole in the member, the spring 12 normally holding the pin with a part projecting from the shaft. A substantially T- shaped member 18, is movably mounted in an opening in the head of member 3 and has its stem abutting the upper end of the pin 11. This member 13 has its rounded head projecting slightly above the head 4 so that it will be engaged by the part on the train before the head of the member is engaged by said part. This engagement will depress the member 13 against the action of the spring 1 1 and cause the stem of the member 13 to push the pin 11 downwardly until it is wholly contained in the shaft 2 so that the member can be rocked about the shaft when its head is engaged by the part on the train. When the spring 6 returns the member 3 to normal position again the springs 12 and 14 will return the pin to locking position and the member 13 to its raised position.

The device can be arranged in an overhead position, as shown in Figure 6 where the casing 1' is suspended from a supporting structure 15. In this form of the invention the locking means for the member 3 can be omitted. In other respects this form of the invention is similar to that before described except that the parts are reversed. The part on the train, would, of course, be placed at the top of a car so that it can engage the head of the member 3' to rock the same.

The part on the train may consist of a cylinder 16 into which air is introduced to actuate a piston, the piston rod 17 of which carries a shoe 18 for engaging the rounded head of the member 3 as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means whereby a shoe on a train or car can be depressed or raised to engage the rockable member 3 to rock the same and thus close the circuit to the switch actuating means so that the engineer or motorman can close or open a switch by simply actuating a shoe. Thus a switch can be opened or closed without the train stopping and without the aid of a switchman. l Vhile the invention is primarily designedfor a switch controller, it will of course be understood that it can be used for other purposes.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features I of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that. I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A device of the class described comprising a casing, a member tiltably mounted therein and having a part projecting from the casing, a spring for holding the memher in its central position, bridging contacts on the member, pairs of contacts which are bridged by the bridging contacts when the member is in its tilted position, circuits to which the pairs of contacts are connected, means for locking the member against tilting movement and a depressible part carried by the projecting part of the member for moving the locking means to inactive position.

2. A switch controllercomprising a casing, a pair of posts in the casing, a pair of spaced contacts carried by each post, circuits connected with the contacts, a shaft carried by the casing and arranged between the posts, a member tiltably 'mounted on the shaft,

bridging contacts carried by the member for bridging the pairs of contacts on the posts, said member having a part projecting from the casing and arranged to be engagedby a part on a train so that the member will be rocked by the passage of the train, means for normally holding the member in its central position, a spring pressed locking pin for locking the member to its shaft and a depressible part in the member for moving the pin to unlocking position when said depressible part is engaged by the part on the train.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALTER CARTER. 

